Cocktail Hour - The Gimlet

A short history of the Gimlet.

Made with gin and lime, this cocktail is simplicity itself and a firm favourite of mine.

Named after a tool for boring small holes, or possibly Royal Navy surgeon Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette, it is generally accepted that the Gimlet began life at sea, sailors needing the lime to prevent scurvy. Presumably the gin was added to tide over thirsty matlows till the issue of their daily rum ration. 
It's a wonder that us Brits ever sobered up long enough to conquer a third of the known world!

Gimlets are traditionally made with Rose's Lime Juice. Lauchlan Rose began importing limes from the Caribbean in the 1860s and, patented by him in 1867, the cordial acted as an alcohol free preservative for lime juice on long voyages.
The description in Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel The Long Goodbye states that "a real gimlet is half gin and half Rose's Lime Juice and nothing else."
This mix is very sweet - the norm now is a less teeth threatening 2 parts gin to 1 of cordial.

A true classic. With the growing popularity of gin the humble Gimlet is making a comeback.

There's a school of thought that dispenses with cordial in favour of a mix of fresh lime juice and bar syrup*. I must admit to preferring the slightly sharper flavour this gives. Whether this is still a proper Gimlet or not is open to debate.
Apparently this more modern variant is a bastard child of the original and a Giblet - made with three parts gin to one part lime juice, shaken, and topped off with soda.

I would suggest experimenting with both types, though make sure you have a comfortable chair to hand - a chum of mine once quipped that drinking a Gimlet was akin to "receiving a soft punch to the head." They are rather bracing...

Ingredients:

1. 50ml Gin - a dry gin such as Tanqueray or Gordon's is ideal.*
2. 25ml Rose's Lime Cordial

OR

1. 50ml Gin
2. 20ml simple syrup
3. 20ml fresh lime juice

Procedure:

1. Pour the gin in to a cocktail shaker filled with ice
2. Add cordial (or fresh juice & syrup)
3. Shake well and strain in to a chilled martini glass
4. Serve with a twist of lime

If you're interested in finding out more on classic cocktails Tobias Steed & Ben Reed's Hollywood Cocktails is an illuminating read. Also worth a look is The Institute For Alcoholic Experimentation. A fantastic cocktail blog, written by another chum of mine, Clayton Hartley, it is a mine of information on all things booze related.

More cocktails to follow next weekend.

*Simple Syrup, a barman's staple, is a doddle to make. Take 1 part sugar and 1 part water. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil; simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Can be refrigerated in a glass jar and kept for 1 month. Feel free to experiment with darker sugars like muscovado or demerara to enhance the flavour - this will also depend on what cocktails you want the syrup for. I find that golden castor works well for Gimlets. You don't want to overpower the sharpness of the limes or have it look too cloudy.

To make a Rich Simple Syrup just up the sugar ratio.

*Gin can also be substituted for vodka. This, in my view, is not a proper Gimlet and therefore will not be discussed here.